Grigory Likman (1904–1991): Slavgorod series of graphic portraits

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the creative heritage of the Siberian artist Grigory Likman (1904–1991). The master created works in the genre of political caricature, painted landscapes, portraits, narrative and thematic canvases, was engaged in book illustration and illustrations for the Siberian periodicals, wood carving, worked on scenery for plays. The focus of this study is on the graphic portraits created by G.G. Likman in the 1920s, which are part of the private collection of Andrey Kovalev. The article provides a brief overview of the artist's life, gives a general characterisation of his creative personality, analyses the graphic portraits created in the 1920s, when G.G. Likman worked for the newspaper “Stepnaya Pravda” in Slavgorod. To solve the given tasks, the author employed historical-biographical and formal-stylistic methods, as well as elements of iconological analysis. The work of Grigory Likman is particularly noteworthy due to its coverage of the entire Soviet period and its step-by-step exploration of the many styles characteristic of the era, all while maintaining a high level of artistic quality. The study contributes to the understanding of the artist's work by introducing his graphic works of this period, which have not been presented elsewhere. It is important to note the scientific novelty of this contribution.